Well-casing elevator



Sept. 7 1926.l l,598,709

1,598,709 sept 7 1926 c. A. BUTLER WELL CASING ELEVATOR Filed June l5.1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. BUTLER, OF OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.

WELL-CASING ELEVATOR.

Application filed June 13, 1924. Serial No. 719,814.

The object of my invention is to provide a well easing elevator which isadapted to rip the casing or tube beneath the top coup ing whereby thecoupling is relieved of any I strains until after the next section orjoint has been screwed into the coupling which will tighten the couplingalong with the joint when the coupling will be safe to carry as much ofa load as any other part of the casing.

Another object of my invention is to provide an elevator of thischaracter in which the several slips or gripping members are at alltimes carried by the elevator and having interlocking features so thatthey will all assume a position in a horizontal line so that the pull outhe several slips` or gripping devices will be even and whereby thecasing is evenly Igripped on all sides and tightly held without injuryto the casing.

A further object of my invention is to provide an elevator of thischaracter in which means are provided for simultaneously raising theslips or gripping devices to release the same from the casing and allowit to be supported by the stationary slip or gripping devices arrangedaround the casing, all of which is Well understood and needs no furtherdescription.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap andeffective well casing elevator' which can be readily placed over thecasing when the coupling is applied thereto and having certain detailsof structure and combination of parts hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of my improvedelevator showing the stationary slips or gripping devices surroundingthe well casing.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing the slips orgripping devices engaging the Well casing and supporting the same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation similar to Figure? showing the slips orgripping devices raised for releasing the well casing and allow it to besupported by the stationary slips or ripping devices.

figure '4 is a horizontal transverse sectional view of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the slips or gripping devices.

In the practice of drawing well casings, it is customary to have acasing holding means supported by any structure surrounding the well andas shown in the drawings. comprises a base 1 having a central openingtherethrougli, through which passes the well casing Q and said casingadapted to be supported by the slips or gripping devices 3 which arearranged to firmly grip and support the well casing and which areconstructed similar to those shown and described hereinafter as used inmy elevator. These slips or gripping devices are individually raised bythe interlocking feature hereinafter described and which insuresv otl aneven gripping of the well casing around its entire periphery.

In the' ordinary well casing elevator the same engages the lower edge ofthe coupling and it has been found that the elevator unv der very heavystrains will spring to a certain extent and cause the entire weight tocome on the two opposite sides of the coupling and it often happens thatthe 'thi-aids are stripped. thus allowing the casing to slip into thewell. By my improved elevator it will be seen that the coupling isnotemployed at all in lifting the casing from the well, but the entireweight is evenly distributed on all of the slips or gripping devices andthe easing supported around its entire periphery and absolutely preventsthe casing from dropping back into the well or injury thereto.

My improved elevator comprises a base 4 which as shown is of a ringshape having on two opposite sides the pmjections 5 and which areprovided with slots and S to receive the lower ends of the links il and.l0. Fitting in the slots 7 and S are the blocks ll and 1Q which havetheir inner faces rurved to conform with the curve of the links andthese blocks are held in the slots by means of the bolts 13 and 14. Theupper ends ot the links are passed over the hook l5 which is supportedby the cable 16 by means of the swivel connection 17. The cable lopasses over the blocks and is raised and lowered bv any desired form olmotor, all of which is well understood in the art and needs no furtherdescription. The base is provided with a central tapering bore l5against which the tapering walls ot' the slip or gripping devices 19,Q0, Q1 and 22 rest. lVhile I have shown four of these slip or grippingdevices it will be understood that any desired number may be. employed.The inner faces of the slip or gripping devices are vertically arrangedand are provided with teeth 23 which iirmly bite into the well casingand support the casing as will be hereinafter more tully set forth.

The slip or gripping devices 19. 20, 21 and 22 are each provided on oneedge with a tongue 24 and on the other edge with a groove 25. The tongue24 of one slip or gripping device is adapted to enter the slot 25 of theabutting slip or gripping device, whereby all of the gripping devicesare maintained in horizontal alinement and which cause an even grippingof the same on the well casing around its entire periphery. By thisstructure it will be seen that the teeth 23 of the slip or grippingdevices engage the outer periphery of the well c asing and when theweight of the well casing comes on the teeth the slips or grippingdevices are all forced downwardly in the tapering bore 1S of the base 4and are "forced inwardly to tightly and evenly grip the outer peripheryof the well casing.

Each of the four slips or gripping devices are provided with anoutwardly extending projection 26 having obliquely arranged verticalopenings -7 extending therethrough and passing through said opening is abolt 28 arranged in the same plane as the tapered boreV 18 of the base 4as indicated at 29. By this structure it will be seen that the slip orgripping devices are at all times carried by the base 4 but are free tomove upwardly and travel in an oblique direction so that-'they will moveto and from the casing when raised and lowered.

The projections 26 are provided with horizontal openings 30 throughwhich bolts 31 pass and upon which are mounted the links 32 which extendupwardly and are pivotally connected at 33 to the Spider cross head 34.It will be seen that there are two of these links on each sli orgripping device, one on each side of t e projections 26 and one link isarranged on each side of the arms of the spider cross head as clearlylshown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. The cross head 34 is providedcentrally with an eye 35 into which passes the weighted hook 36. Thishook as s own is pivoted at 37 to the link 38 suspended from the hook15; as herebefore stated the hook 36 is provided on the opposite side ofthe pivot 37 'with a weight 39 which normally holds the hook in thepolitionshown in Figure 2 of the drawings so 'there is no liability ofthe hook accidently entering the eye 35 and releasing the grippingdevices as will be later described.

In the normal operation of my device the hook 36 passes throuffh the eye35 and supports the gripping evices in the position shown in Fi ure 3 ofthe drawings. While in this position it will be seen that the device canbe lowered over the upper end of the veli easing,A the same beingsupported by the gripping devices 3 ermanentlv carried by the base 1surroun ing the well casing. Vhen the hook 36 is in the eye it will beseen that the gripping devices are all supported in an upward positionhaving their ends extending a shoit distance into the bore of the base4. The device is then lowered over the well casing 2 until said wellcasing engages the spider 34 which stops the downward movement otthe'base. A continued downward movement of the hook 15 allows the link38 to move downwardly so that the weighted hook 36 is disengagedautomatically from the eye 35. An upward movement of the hook 15 causedby a cable herebefore attached thereto will cause the links 9 and 1() tomove the base 4 upwardly and the tapered bore thereof will engage thetapered outer faces of the gripping devices and cause the same to moveinward ly which in turn forces the teeth 23 into the outer periphery ofthe casing, and tightly gripping the same. By the continued upwardmovement of the links 9 and 10 through the medium of the cableherebefore described it will be seen that the head 4 will be raisedcarrying with it the well casing. After the well casing has been raisedthe desired distance the cable supporting the links is lowered and thegripping devices 3 carried by the base 1 will supportthe casing in itsraised position. The hook is then passed through the eye 35 and againtightening the cable supporting the hook 15, will cause the spider tocause the gripping devices to be raised through the medium of the links32 until the projections 26 strike the heads of the bolts 28 when thewhole device including the base 4 will be raised and supported by thehook 36 so that it is free to move upwardly around the well casing or toallow the well casing to be moved out of the same.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. An elevatorof the character described comprising a base having atapering boretherethrough, a series of gripping devices verticallymovable in said bore, suspending means for said gripping devices', andmeans for automatically disengaging the gripping device suspending meansfrom the gripping devices when the suspending means come in contact withthe top of the casing.

2. An elevator of thecharacterdescribed comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, a series of gripping devices verticallymovable in said bore., means for suspending the base, means forsuspending the gripping 4devices' independent'of the base, and automaticmeans for disengaging the gripping devices from the suspending meanswhen the upper end of the well casing lilas assed a predetermineddistance through t e ase.

3. An elevator of the character described comprising a base, having atapering bore therethrough, gripping devices vertically movable in saidbore, a spider supporting the gripping devices, a suspension means forsaid spider, a suspension means for the base, and automatic means fordisengaging the spider from its suspension means when the upper end ofthe well casing engages the spider in the downwardv moyement of the basearound the Well casing.

4. An elevator of the character described comprising a `base having atapering bore therethrough, links supporting the said base, a supportingcable for said links, a series of gripping devices having tapering outerwalls corresponding with the tapered bore of the base, interlockingmeans carried by the abutting walls of the gripping devices, means forsupporting said gripping devices and raising and lowering them, meanscarr by the gripping devices for supporting the base after the grippingdevices have been raised a predetermined distance.

5. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, links supporting the said base and having asupporting hook passing through their upper ends, a series of grippingdevices having'abutti'ng linterlocking side walls and fitting within thebore of the base and having tapering outer walls correspondingtherewith, a cross head having link connections with the grippingdevices and having a removable connection with the hook supporting thelinks and means carried by the gripping devices for supporting the baseafter the same has been moved upwardly a predetermined distance.

6. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, means for suspending the base, a series ogripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and havinginterlocking, abutting edges, a spider suspending the gripping devicesand the suspending means for the spider, and having automaticdisconnecting means when the spider engages the upper end of the wellcasing.

7. An elevator of the character described comprising a' base having atapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and loweringsaid base, a series of gripping devices having tapering walls fittingagainst the tapering bore ofthe 'base and having abutting, inter-lockingedges, means for raising and lowering said gripping devicessimultaneously and means carried by the gripp ing devices for raisingand supporting the base after the gripping devices have moved upwardly apredetermined distance.

8. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, means for suspending said base, a series ofgripping devices fitting in the tapered bore of the base and havingcorrespondingly tapered outer faces, the abutting walls pf one grippingdevice having a projection entering a recess in the wall of theadjoining gripping device, a spider for supporting the gripping devices,means for suspending the spider, means for automatically disconnectingthe suspending means from the spider when the spider has been lowered onthe upper end of the well casing.

9. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and loweringsaid base, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore ofthe base and having correspondingly tapered outer faces, the abuttingwall of one gripping device having a projection entering a recess in thewall of the adjoining gripping device, and means for raising andlowering the gripping devices independent of the base.

10. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, means for supporting, raising and loweringsaid base, a series of gripping devices fitting in the tapered bore ofthe base and having tapering outer faces corresponding with the taper ofthe bore of the base, means for raising and lowering said grippingdevices, means for causing the gripping devices to move outwardly intheir upward movement, and said means adapted to support the base afterthe gripping devices have been raised a predetermined distance.

V11. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, links supporting the base and having a hookpassing through their upper ends, a series of gripping devices fittingin the tapering bore ofthe base and havingA their outer facescorrespondingly tapered, said gripping devices having their abuttingwalls interlocking to allow the same to move horizontally when movedupwardly, a spider supported by the hook and having link connectionswith the gripping devices for rais.

ing the same and means carried by the base for causing the grippingdevices to move horizontally intheir upward movement and to support thebase when the gripping devices have moved upwardly a predeterminedtapered -to correspond with the bore of they base, the abutting wallsyof the gripping devices, projections interlocking with the recesses ofthe adjoining gripping device, an outwardly extending ear carried by theupctv per end ot each ot the gripping devices, a guide carried b v thelisse and arranged in a plane with the taper of the bore ot' the baseand passing through said lugs, and having beveled upper ends, a spiderderachahly connected to a hook supported by a link carried by the lirstmentioned hook, links pivotally connected to the outer end of the spiderand having their lower ends pivorallyY connected to the lugs carried bythe gripping devices substantially shown and described.

lil. An elevator ot` the character described comprising a hase having atapering bore therethrough, means tor raising and lowering said base, aseries ot' grippingdevices tilting against the tapering walls ot' thebore ol` the base, means carried b v the raising and lowering means ofthe base for raising and lowering thc 'gripping devices independent oifthe base.

ll. )in elevator ot the chai'acter described comprising a base, having atapering bore therethrough, a series ot' gripping devices verticallymovable in said bore, and having interlocking means with each other,means for raising and lowering the base, and means' carried by said-raising and lowering means tor connection 'with the gripping devicesior raising the same a limited distance independent ot the base.

l5. in elevator ot the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, gripping devices vertically movable in saidbore, links supporting the base, means for supporting the links,gripping devices vertically movable in said bore,

and a weighted hook carried by the link supporting means and adapted tosupport the gripping devices and adapted to automatically release thegripping devices upon the downward movement of the link supportingmeans.

16. Lin elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, links carried by the base, supporting meanshaving a movable connection with said links, gripping devices movable insaid bore, and a weighted hook carried by the link supporting means andadapted to support the gripping devices in their raised position and torelease the gripping devices upon the downward movement of the linksupporting means after the baise has been stopped in.its downwardmovement.

1T. An elevator of the character described comprising a base having atapering bore therethrough, links carried by said base, means for`supporting the links and having a vertical movement therein, grippingdevices vertioally movable in said bore, an eye carried by said grippingdevices, and an intermediately pivoted hook carried by the linksupporting means, and having a weight to overbalance the hook, wherebythe hook automatically disengages with the eye 'of the gripping deviceson the downward movement ot the link supporting means when the base ,hasbeen stopped on its downward movement by the engagement of the upper endof the well casing with the gripping device supporting means.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature.

UHARLES A. BUTLER.

